And now, Japan Post has no news, but USPS has it as passing through sort in New York City, only three days after the last report from Tokyo, only a total of five days after I placed the order. It looks like Rorona may get here in under two weeks total. (If US Customs is expeditious.)

Always use USPS for tracking since Japanpost tracking doesn't always reflect where is the package once it arrives in the US. I have no clue what class mail SAL is considered once it arrives in the US - is still considered part of bulk mail or first class?

And now, Japan Post has no news, but USPS has it as passing through sort in New York City, only three days after the last report from Tokyo, only a total of five days after I placed the order. It looks like Rorona may get here in under two weeks total. (If US Customs is expeditious.)

Always use USPS for tracking since Japanpost tracking doesn't always reflect where is the package once it arrives in the US. I have no clue what class mail SAL is considered once it arrives in the US - is still considered part of bulk mail or first class?

Could be first class but then again I could be wrong.

SAL has been iffy for me at times. I've gotten things quicker than I though I would and other times it's been a bit longer. My last order shipped from AmiAmi was two weeks ago August 30th. I got the item 8 days later on September 7th. I figured it would have been longer because of Labor Day.

I've also gotten stuff in 6 days from SAL. I really use EMS I've used it like 3 times now and my next order I had to change to EMS since I would to have it in my hands before the first Friday of October.

SAL has been iffy for me at times. I've gotten things quicker than I though I would and other times it's been a bit longer. My last order shipped from AmiAmi was two weeks ago August 30th. I got the item 8 days later on September 7th. I figured it would have been longer because of Labor Day.

I've also gotten stuff in 6 days from SAL. I really use EMS I've used it like 3 times now and my next order I had to change to EMS since I would to have it in my hands before the first Friday of October.

That's what I wonder now...what class mail is SAL considered once it reaches the country you live in. First class would be nice.

Whenver I used regular SAL, it takes like 2.5 weeks, but I've never used registered SAL (takes shorter time?). I pretty much used EMS exclusively since it's so quick unless I'm ordering a bunch of books/magazines (usually, I'll turn to Amazon and add a lot so the shipping cost per item is low).

While I don't collect anime figures myself, mainly due to lack of funds, I do find them interesting and thus try to check this thread when I remember to. And thus, I have a burning question: just what is this "sudsy Hinako" figure Blood- keeps mentioning? Also, Blood-, now that you finally have the figure, what are your hands on impre--.... errr... what are your impressions of it?

I love her. She comes with five separate strands of suds, but I could only figure out where four of them go. I think one is supposed to hang down the front of the bucket from the general direction of her Holy of Holies, but for the life of me I can't figure out how it is supposed to be attached to the bucket.

So it seems there's a new line of figures called "Cu-poche" coming out(here's their first figure). They seem to be going for the Nendoroid style, but taller to allow for heavy articulation. This could potentially be very interesting, especially if the magnets can be abused to stick it on a fridge.

Actually, that could possibly be a good selling point - "I love figures but I've run out of places to put them!" "Not if you've got a fridge you haven't!".

Don't get your hopes up too high, SAL shipping can be really unpredictable. I had a package pass through NY on Aug 31st and was just delivered today. I also had two packages arrive in the US before two other packages yet the two late packages were the first to be delivered.

Yeah, Rorona has been in New York for a week now.

And on the eighth day, tracking says she's out of New York, and in New Hampshire, of all places. (I don't live in New England.)

So like a month ago I got Tiger & Bunny - Keith Goodman Figuarts Zero from Big in Japan:
He comes with a swappable arm w/bouquet and hand with a single rose.

...And about 2 weeks ago I got Tiger & Bunny - Ivan Karelin Figuarts Zero (also from BiJ):
He comes with an alternate smiling face but I prefer him scowling.

(He's really pretty. In fact, I keep thinking he looks like Heartbreaker-era G-Dragon if you tousled his hair a bit, so I'm extra-happy with him...)

And last but not least from HobbySearch, the Tiger & Bunny Styling set of 4 (visors down & visors up):
Their bases slide neatly into one another (ahem) so they can stand back to back on their sponsor's logo.

Yesterday I got a sizeable box from AmiAmi too, so I'll have something for next week (assuming I don't put it off for a month or something).

Last edited by poonk on Sat Sep 29, 2012 11:20 am; edited 1 time in total

Ikaruga from the game and upcoming anime Senran Kagura. Not the most striking figure visually but she'll be a good companion for Hibari who I already have on preorder, and for whatever reason I taken a liking to this francise.

I was mildly interested in this Kirino Kousaka from Kotobukiya, but she sold out in only 2-3 days after she was listed a week or two ago. Didn't realize Kirino was THAT popular.

Then, there is this Nendoroid Petite TYPE-MOON Collection Box. A decent way to get some figures of lesser characters who may not get a scaled figure or who I may not like enough to want one. Although, 3 Sabers in this box? Just go and make one that's nothing but Saber, already.

And finally, this Female Swordsman Bario X Nendoroid from the Monster Hunter games. Not the biggest fan on the games but I really do like the armor designs they come up with.

After about two and a half weeks after placing the order, including a few days when it looked like the local post office had mislaid the package, my Rorona has arrived. Actually a video game-related figure rather than an anime-related figure.

After about two and a half weeks after placing the order, including a few days when it looked like the local post office had mislaid the package, my Rorona has arrived.

I got her not long ago when AmiAmi restocked her and she's become one of my favorite figures. All the details on the figure are really well done (like the detailing on her hat, the clear parts on her staff and necklace, and the fact that the flasks on her belt actually can be moved around). I'm hoping that Megahouse will eventually do a Meruru; I have Rorona displayed next to Phat's Totori, and Megahouse wins this contest hands down in terms of quality.

They keep delaying their figures, which keeps mucking up my orders. First, Kneesocks was delayed twice, which kept dragging out my Anaru Beach Queen and BRS Figma. Then since Kneesocks was delayed into early September, I decided to go ahead and combine it and my other figures with Stocking and Sena, which were coming out later in the month. Now, Sena recently came in stock, but Stocking has been delayed to late October. fudge it. I'm not waiting another month for any of those figures; Anaru has been available since July. I just asked AmiAmi to split of Stocking and combine it with my order for October, which contains another Alter figure, Menma. Their quality better be worth it.

I've had many an alter figure go through a few, 2-3, delays in the past myself. In most of my cases it got delayed at the last second as well. I expect it to be shipping and like the day of, or day before, is when they pop up the delayed message. Buggers.

Travel back in time (and maybe have your gender swapped) to seven different periods of Japanese history, all from the comfort of your couch.― The history of Japanese civilization is expansive, predating the Common Era by 10,000 years (the Jomon period). There's much more ground to cover compared to what kids get in U.S. history classes in high school, which rarely cover anything before the Boston T...

Junji Ito's death-stench horror gets the deluxe treatment with a new hardcover omnibus, but the subject matter might not work for everyone.― Junji Ito is inarguably one of the masters of horror manga, utilizing both horror (physical revulsion) and terror (psychological reaction) to create gut-churning tales of the world gone mad. To a degree, he carries this out in his two-volume series Gyo from 200...

Voice actor/director/professional Dungeons & Dragons player Liam O'Brien returns to the podcast after a 5-year hiatus to discuss his roles in Fate/Zero and Sailor Moon, along with the landscape for anime voice acting now and what it's like to be Gollum.― ANNCast Episode 234: Podcastoes O'Brien Get the Flash Player to see this player. Voice actor/director/professional Dungeons & Dragons player Liam ...

If you went to an anime convention this summer or have used the internet lately, you may notice anime fans seem to have fallen in love with Steven Universe. Why? Because the show loves them right back.― If you've been to an anime convention in the past year, you've probably seen colorful, gem-studded cosplay like this filling the hallways. Photo credit links: top left, top right, bottom left, bottom...

If you've got questions for the director of the high-flying fantasy series The Pilot's Love Song, we've potentially got answers for you!― We've been given the opportunity to interview The Pilot's Love Song director Toshimasa Suzuki, and we need your help! NISA, who will be releasing the fantasy action drama The Pilot's Love Song on bluray September 22nd, asked for fan questions for Mr. Suzuki, whos...

Bee-Train's 2001 girls-with-guns classic returns on Blu-Ray, and holds up surprisingly well, despite some mediocre animation.― Not all older series deserve the Blu-Ray treatment. For some it is because the show just isn't as iconic as people might like to think, while for others it's because the quality was never BD worthy in the first place. Noir, fortunately, does hold up well enough that its tran...

Egypt Arc is JoJo in peak condition, as memorable and engaging an adventure as you could hope for. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is back.― When we last left our heroes, they'd just arrived on the shores of Egypt, escaping the literal jaws of defeat in order to finally save Jotaro's mother. The journey there had been a lengthy and sometimes inconsistent one, with their various adventures indeed being plen...

The creator of the hit manga, recently adapted into a popular anime series, talks about her inspirations, how she got her start, and what it's like to watch your manga become a TV show.― As you might guess from the story, the main character of the story is a high school roughneck named Ryu Yamada. Yamada meets cute, quiet, and studious Urara Shiraishi, who is his complete opposite in almost every wa...